13th Random

Why Science isn't helping?

2009-11-12T07:03:00.006-05:00

A lot of you may immediately raise your voices arguing over this. I can already hear some of them...'What do you mean Science isn't helping?'....'Its ridiculous to think science isn't helping'... 'Then what about all the advancements around us thanks to science'.

I hear you. But let me tell you why Science isn't helping us the way it should. It is true we have made a lot of advancements in the different fields of science & technology. We have nuclear power, bio-genetics, space flights and more. But if you look closer you will realize that any field where humans have tried to use science to replace a part of nature, it has resulted in catastrophe.

Science has mostly derived its inspiration from nature. Let it be the Libelle G-suit used by modern combat pilots (which is inspired by the humble dragonfly) or Artificial Intelligence which tries to mimic the brain. This inspired development also known as Biomimetics has helped science make tremendous leaps in technological advancements. All this is good.

But then unfortunately due to the over-zealousness of humans, we end up trying to replace nature with scientific inventions. We start believing that Science can actually deliver us from all imperfections of nature. I am not against science but I believe we have forgotten a way to co-exist thanks to our sordid human nature. We have this urge to stamp our authority on everything and everyone around us. We want to make things perfect and iron out the wrinkles that nature gave us literally (with Botox) and figuratively (Organic Vegetables). We invented paper and eroded forests, we invented combustible engine and now the world fights for control of oil besides polluting everything in our stride.

Science is not helping us advance because it is forgetting to co-exist with nature. Our greed and obsessive compulsion to tame the forces of nature is definitely not helping life as we have known it, sustain. We can learn so much like we did from birds, from animals, trees and every aspect of nature.

We must try to tame our or greed before trying to tame nature if science really can be used to help us and our world as a whole.

Random News: The First Barber Shop on Alien Planet!

2009-01-30T08:37:00.002-05:00

Burned, originally uploaded by LivLuvLounge.com.

Planet Cleminino gets its first saloon/barber shop of sorts; all thanks to Ogu-Ogu who got burnt and lost his body hair yesterday. Reports indicate that Ogu-Ogu might be on his way to become the first business'richest'man on Planet Cleminino.

Other male Clemininoians are finding the lack of body hair to be more appealing to a large section of females. The females who dig body hair are the ones that the males are least interested in it seems.

Disclaimer: All of the last 2 days disclaimer applies here except for the kid. Our reporter sent us this picture of Ogu-Ogu but we feel he resembles someone we know. But then we know so many people. If you feel he resembles like someone you know then it is may be because you know a lot of people too...it happens!

Random News: First Accident by Fire!

2009-01-29T09:34:00.003-05:00

Today the residents of Plant Cleminino witnessed their first accident by fire. Ogu-Ogu found that fire can burn most of his body hair.

Initial reports indicate that some females like Ogu Ogu without his hair.

Disclaimer: All the previous disclaimers with this is valid. The illustration is drawn by our in-house kid who draws when he is bored. This drawing was the closest we could imagine what our reporters might be seeing. Anyways it does not matter.

Random News: FIRE Discovered on Alien Planet!

2009-01-27T12:40:00.004-05:00

Light My Fire, originally uploaded by ..::Steph::...

Today the Residents of Planet Cleminino discovered Fire!

Disclaimer: The blog takes no responsibility for all news posted under Random News section of this blog. Our journalists are traveling the galaxies in search of news for you, on a very limited budget and whatever equipment we could give them, which is not much. The verification of authenticity of claims made in this news section is very expensive and hence will not be undertaken. The news coverage is universal and so the time taken by our team to relay one news item is excruciating therefore we don't bother much with editing. Besides, they send us mostly one liners that do not require much editing.

Vegans cause Global Warming

2009-01-23T06:58:00.004-05:00

A lot has been said about how cattle or animal rearing for the purpose of meat, adds to the carbon emissions. The methane gas emissions from cows a lot of leverage to the anti-meat. But studies indicate that farming contributes to greenhouse gases as much.

“Agriculture is widely believed to be one of the main causes of deforestation. Around the world, forests are giving way to plantations for oil palm, soy, rubber, coffee, tea, and rice among many other crops.” – Excerpt from Panda.org

To feed the stomachs of all the vegetarians it is being suggested that the rest of the meating eating population give up meat. Some may up with statistics saying that cattle rearing contributes comparatively more to global warming but saving the environment is not just about statistics. Deforestation is also a major concern and since forests are being converted to farmlands, vegans are also equally responsible for the wanton destruction of our environment.

Blaming the cows for farting or all meat eaters seems illogical. Rather than finding flimsy reasons, what needs to be understood is that 'over-exploitation fueled by greed' be it animal rearing or deforestation or mining or fishing; is the root cause of environmental issues faced today.

Cows are vegans too...and you can see the ruckus they are creating. The best solution might be cannibalism because humans seem to be the biggest problem as of today. Rearing will not be an issue since the population is already exploding. Oh wait a minute...we invented terrorism already!

Source:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environment

Random Poem: Excerpt from a Poem without Title

2009-01-08T16:47:00.006-05:00

Excerpt:

There are moments everyday when I feel, in my hands I must hold your face,
And look in to your eyes and say I love you.
I feel like holding you close at all times lest I lose myself in this life's maze,
And feel your breath against my chest every morning new.

Then at other times I miss your hug and your touch,
And into my hands I yearn for ....

Rest of the Poem at: creativebazaar.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/a-poem-without-a-title/

Random Babble: Bore

2008-06-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

The word 'Bore' has a lot of connotations. All connotations can be found in a dictionary. So why am I doing it here? Because I can and I am plain bored.

Bore: To be a bore. Someone who has the ability to spread boredom. This should not be mistaken for a superpower. It is more common than you can imagine.
Illustration: The author finds some of his posts a bore.
Bore: Bore is used to define the diameter of a tube or tunnel or anything circular. Its associated more to a hole. Gun barrels also are identified using the bore. No Calibre is different, this is more related to the barrel.
Illustration: The bore of the barrel of the gun pointed at your face is directly related to your ability to hold your bladder.
Bore: Bore is also a sort of digging term related to the process of digging into something. It perhaps obvious since Bore seems to like tunnels and holes. Its only natural to associate itself to the process of digging too.
Illustration: The termite bore holes in my books which was fine with me as they were my study books and not my Playboy collection.
Bore: Bore is one of the wordeas (sort of district) of Ethopia. Bore must be a hole on earth by the sound of it.
Illustration: Look for a black hole in Ethopia.

Bore is also used with other words to express other Boring connotations.
Bore dom: Its what a Bore brings in.
Illustration: Look at what Boredom does to you. Makes me write a post on boredom and makes you read on one.
Tidal Bore: A very high wave caused by a tidal flow. This is more because of tidal waves colliding with each other. Sometimes if a person is a Colossal Bore then he or she can be termed a Tidal Bore.
Illustration: What better than an Image
Bore Upon: The phrase bore upon means "have an effect upon". It means to take be impacted or effected due to some event, action or whatever.
Illustration: The need for sending me to the asylum bore upon my parents after seeing me dance naked in the fountain in the middle of Central Park and then peeing on dogs, standing on one leg.

Random Potluck - Lucky

2008-06-18T11:53:00.008-04:00

Starting today, a new featured column is kicking off. No it is not 13th but its a Friday! This Featured column is 'Random Potluck'. One word will be typed in Google and 'I'm Feeling Lucky' feature will be used. The first site that comes up will be talked about for what it's worth. So Happy SEOing!

The Word of the Day is (any guesses...no not 13, that's next and no not Random, that will be after 13) - It is LUCKY

Lucky took me to - Lucky Magazines (luckymag.com)
Lucky Magazine is a Condé Nast Publication.

First Impression:

Chic and Trendy site
Color Scheme looks good and easy on the eye
Fonts are large and readable
Little disorienting, since it is filled with banners
Site had Pop-up ads which was not very exciting
The ad banner in question might be the top center
I also got a Pop-up Arrival and while leaving a Thank You - One time Offer ad. This happens when you arrive or leave the site. I do not know if this is an every time 'one time offer' to avail a couple of fashion magazines - Lucky and Glamour Magazine

What is it about:
This is clearly a site made for the magazine. Lucky caters the Shopping & Style market

Target Audience:
Women (Age: 14-4 years)*

Highlight:
The Site has been very well-SEOed for the word Lucky. Almost all of the features and pages in the site is somehow related to this word.

Offers are called Lucky Breaks
Events and Promos are called Lucky Lookouts
Rewards program are obviously called Lucky Rewards
Then there are Giveaways - Lucky Giveaways
also All Lucky Deals
Lucky Locator helps you shop online for that particular style or product/apparel or such one saw in the magazine

Reach-out Factor:
Lucky magazine site guys are doing a lot of things right to reach out their audience.

The have a sub-site for called 'Lucky Style Spotter' for new Style spotting in the neighborhood. This site that has a community point rating system. Community
members are encouraged to upload their styles like hair, dress, makeup and other fashion related images. Other members then vote each image. They run some contests on this too.
The Shopping section offers economical products such as accessories, purses or bags categorized as per price. They also offer Shopping tips.
Style & Advice section offers what the name suggests.
The Shop and Sites section is all about Shop guides, recommended shopping sites etc.
Lucky Forums - an forum for the community interaction which is not moderated
Lucky also reaches out by adding a personal touch. They use blogs extensively. The following are some of the blogs they have built:

Beauty blog - beauty editors write personalized posts based on personal exp using products along with tips and recommendations, product reviews, etc
eBay Obsessed blog - as the name suggests, articles on the hottest selling style/fashion items on ebay
Style Steals blog - A blog on simple day to day style tips for the practical woman
Shop girl - latest trendy fashion picks that can be bought online

Nutshell:

Luckymag is a Women oriented site tailored to market their magazine
It is a nice site but looks cluttered
The clutter is majorly due to banners
The ad banners and their in-house marketing banners are difficult to identify causing confusion
The font color used to mention Advertisements almost merges with the background
These things combined gives a feel that the site developers wanted to confuse the unsuspecting visitors to unwittingly click on a partner banner ad. This reflects in bad taste.

Last words:
Typical magazine site that is made to look like a magazine. Full of ads. But very useful with lots of tips, suggestions, contents and deals. Very participative and engaging. Blogs and forums make the readers feel Lucky to be a part of the Lucky Community.**

*Source: Springwise.com
**Disclaimer: Lucky Magazine, Conde Nast, or any of its subsidaries have not advised or in any way asked this author to write this post. The author is not affiliated to the company in anyway. This is a self-motivated take on the site since it turned up thanks to the 'I'm feeling Lucky' feature of Google.

Ad Senseless: DARK but no Temptation

2008-06-17T18:08:00.006-04:00

Photo courtesy: The SUN UK (all credits and copyrights to this image is sole property of SUN UK and the rightful owner. The author takes no credit for the same.)

Axe is known for making great ads. The theme of all ads tend to revolve around the guy using Axe Deo and the girls finding him irresistible. In the same spirit, Axe came up with a new ad which has stirred some controversy especially in India. Read the news article here

Now lets take a good at the ad. The ad starts of with this guy who sprays the new Axe Dark Temptation on him. Suddenly he changes into a Chocolate man who is like the favorite chocolate boy for all women around him. They can't stop themselves from biting of body parts off him.

So why is the senseless? Here goes:

The Chocolate man is plain creepy with his stupid grin and big eyes. Period.
Girls and Women are generally very wary about eating chocolates lest it affect their figure

Besides the two obvious fail of logic, how does it make any sense showing a man being torn to bits and he willing allowing it? They want to convey the irresistible factor. But what have they ended up conveying in the end? That men using this deodorant will lose all self-esteem and self-respect. They will allow themselves to be used and then used again by women for their pleasure (in this case the pleasure is dead violent).

The creepiest part of the ad is the time the girl plucks his hand as she drives away. Does it imply that the man will go out on/off a limb for impressing the girls? Will body parts start falling apart if you use this deo?

Was it worth banning the ad? Maybe, but not for vulgarity, but for being absolutely senseless! You can watch the ad here

Evolutionary Minuses!

2008-06-16T11:53:00.000-04:00

A recent article in the Times of India , suggested that the 'Wisdom' teeth is on its way to extinction. No, not extraction...but extinction.

The evolution of humans has made jaws smaller as compared to the apish longer jaws of our ancestors. This has resulted in over-crowding of our mouth. Therefore, the wisdom teeth is finding lesser and lesser space to fit it. The recent patterns suggest that wisdom tooth is on its way to be extinct like many of our other vestigial organs.

It is as if evolution is sending a message...stop exploding your population or humans will be extracted too.

Its interesting how evolution has been slowly erasing the different body parts that seems redundant. Humans and animals are experiencing this incredible power of evolution and slowly the species is driven towards the most adaptable form that is the need of the moment.

I wonder if this phenomenon will slowly make a number of organs extinct as we know it. The beard or facial hair (also body hair), is something humans spend a lot of time removing. May be this is next in line to go.

One theory (by the author himself) is that the evolutionary chain is actually a cycle and not a chain. This means the evolution of species will continue towards a perfect form till it comes back to being a single celled micro-organism by process of 'Evolutionary Minuses'.

You can read the Times article here

Who decides they are extinct?

2008-06-15T00:30:00.006-04:00

This question might pop up in your mind. If not there is no harm in thinking for once. Who in the whole world decides that a certain species is endangered or extinct? It vexed me.

After some research and it was evident that there are many local agencies authorized by the local governing bodies to conduct research and surveys to find the population density and frequency of sightings and so on of species in a particular location.

But there exists an International body whose responsibility is to keep a track of the conservation status of species and subspecies including plants and animals. This is known as International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). As one of the oldest and also the largest environment network, IUCN has over 1000 professionals, 11,000 volunteer scientists, 60 offices and numerous partners across the world. Like many other record keeping organizations and keepers of numbers, metrics and NGOs, IUCN is located near Geneva, Switzerland.

IUCN has a list called 'IUCN Red List'. This list is a comprehensive inventory of the status of plants and animal species globally. This list is a sort of a reference guide and supposedly very accurate picture of the status of the species and sub-species. The list is updated every 5 or 10 years with the help of contributions from numerous assigned local bodies. The list is updated using a 'peer-review' method of collating and substantiating data. For the interested, you can get more info on the red list and its assessment technique here.

The List has the following categories:

Extinct (EX)
Extinct in the Wild (EW)
Critically Endangered (CR)
Endangered (EN)
Vulnerable (VU)
Near Threatened (NT)
Least Concern (LC)
Data Deficient (DD)
Not Evaluated (NE)

Finally the onus is on the local bodies and area specialists who are actively involved in gathering and collating data. What beats me is how the local bodies must be working on this?

Do they sit and watch birds, animals and plants in an area all day, 365 days a year? What decides if they are endangered or not? What if the bird or animal is an 'elusive or shy' type and does not allow itself to be seen? How many sightings over a period of time is it required to classify a bird or animal into a particular category? What if the local authority kept missing the sightings due to body odor or noises that scared the species away?Anyone out there has some answers?

Also take a look at a form (PDF) for enlisting a species as endangered.

Random excerpt from Creativebazaar

2008-05-31T21:54:00.002-04:00

A snapshot from 'I am a Bitches Man!' Read the rest at (creativebazaar.wordpress.com)

clipped from creativebazaar.wordpress.com

I realized this when I was listening to George Carlin - How’s your dog? from his 1976 album ‘On the road’. Yes I am a Dog’s man. A Ladies man; may be…but a Dog’s/Bitches man; for sure.

Random tip of the Day # 133

2008-05-31T16:38:00.000-04:00

"Always remember to close the other nostril, when you blow your nose."

This way the fluid goes out and not IN to your sinuses. Thank me when you don't die of pneumonia.

Beauty lies in Nothingness

2008-05-31T15:40:00.001-04:00

Most beautiful things in life are experienced in Nothingness.

The beauty of the mountains are best experienced when one stands at the edge of a cliff and looks at the valley below to see nothing but a thick mattress of white cotton clouds. You see nothing yet feel the beauty of nature.

The beauty of the meadows are best experienced in silence. Not a single sound around, just the speech of nature which in itself is nothing but silence. Wind whispering nothing, grass waving in silence, trees dancing in silence.

The most beautiful moments of your life are those that you spend with your soul-mate sitting together in absolute silence on that beach staring into the sea. Sharing everything without saying a word...the beauty lies in the lack of speech...it lies in nothingness.

Adsenseless - I am Hating it!

2008-05-31T15:17:00.001-04:00

Let’s take a look at one of the McDonald’s ad. McDonalds have been churning out ads with the tag line of ‘I am Loving it’ for some time now. One of the recent additions being the ‘Airline Purser ad’

The ad starts off with a sort of hard rock (or a semi-goth) confused guy dressed in an airline uniform ready to give the mandatory airline safety instructions. Once he gets the attention of the passengers, he starts off singing the airline safety instructions in a sort of rock music (I say sort of because I know many rock fans will find it an insult to their fav genre of music).

Then the Air Stewardess asks the Cabin Crew Chief or Captain (I do not know who the hell that dumb fellow is), as to where the hell did he find this sample? The Chief then recollects the time he was sitting in a McDonald’s and relishing a burger. This Rockstar is sitting across and asks if he can get a job as a Flight Purser. Since the Chief is enjoying his burger he agrees; with the Rockstar saying I am Loving it!

I am sorry I could not find this ad online. If someone finds it please send me the link and I will update the post.

Now why I find this ad so dumb? Because I feel again as in the case of Thums Up ad, the brand is trying to portray that by eating their burgers you tend to become dumb. Prolonged exposure to their burgers tends to make you so stupid that you will start making stupid decisions that you will live (or not) to regret later.

Who am I to question them, if McDonald’s show such confidence in their ‘dumbness inducing burgers’. I say, carry on and spread the message that your products are not just junk food but they actually make you dumb, dumber and dumbest!

Disclaimer: All logos, trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

Random tip of the Day # 13

2008-05-30T09:15:00.000-04:00

"DO NOT eat tomato with its skin the night before; if you do not have enough water the next day to flush it down the toilet".

THE SKIN FLOATS!

Download Day is Coming!

2008-05-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, Download Day is an amazing marketing initiative by the Mozilla Foundation. They have decided on a Download day and are encouraging everyone to download Firefox Version 3 on this day to create a Guinness World Record for the most downloaded software in 24 hours.

They have not decided on an exact launch date yet but it is supposed to be in June. The launch date will be the Download day. Just so that you do not forget or miss the day, they have created a site for the occasion. You can view an almost real time world map here which shows the number of people who have pledged to download FF v3 on that day.

Pledging is also easy. They have a simple 'Pledge Now' button which allows you to make a simple pledge by selecting your region of residence and entering your email ID (they will email you the download day and send reminders too). Though the Mozilla guys have not set a definite number as a target but they are aiming for 5 million plus downloads that day.

This is an amazing word-of-mouth marketing and it goes well with a community which prides itself on propagating Open Source. I am a big fan of the Firefox browser and stand by it.

The Firefox 3 version is supposed to have more than 14,000 improvements, more awesome features, better security, faster browsing and further customizations.

I am eagerly waiting for the D-Day...are YOU?

Ad SenseLess – Thums Down!

2008-05-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

Let me clarify in the first go itself that this post has nothing to do against the famous Google Adsense. I myself stand by the effectiveness (Though I still can’t figure out who actually clicks those ads) of Adsense. On the contrary I intend to write my critical point of view on some ads that we see on television today. Ad Senseless will predominantly pick out those senseless ads that are stuffed down our throats. But sometimes, some good and innovative ads might find mention for not being senseless. But this Ad Senseless is intended to be a standard feature on 13^th Random featured randomly.

Having cleared that part let me move to the point that I intend to make through this post. It is about some Ads that I have come across on television recently. These ads are so senseless that I feel so inclined to comment about them here.

The first ad that I find senseless is Thums Up (the taste the thunder brand from Coca Cola). They have been advertising using star power and showing a desperate Akshay Kumar doing everything remotely possible to get his gulp of the ‘thunder drink’

The ad starts with Akshay recollecting his quick trip to pick up a bottle of the beverage. He jumps off buildings and stairways, lunging and running across seemingly impossible hurdles (it is on the lines of the new sport called Parkour as shown in numerous movies including the latest James Bond). Finally he lands on the middle of a road

where a van is seen hurtling towards him. He side-steps and reaches out to pick out a bottle of Thums Up from the moving van (which incidentally is one of those beverage delivery trucks).

Now what makes this ad so dumb is the way they portray Akshay Kumar running around for a bottle of Thums Up; even if it means serious bodily harm. I understand what the agency is trying to convey, that for a bottle of Thums Up, a true fan can go to any extent to get their hands on one.

What I fail to understand is, does the drink make you so ‘brainless’ that you are ready to jump of buildings and risk picking a bottle out of a moving van, or ramming oneself on to a wall? Won’t you rather just dial your nearest convenient store and order a bottle of the coveted drink. In fact you can get a 1 Litre bottle for less than a quarter of the cost of your hospital or funeral bill whichever is the earliest.

The ad proves nothing but the fact that the drink in question makes the person who drinks it so stupid and dumb that you will do anything suicidal to drink it. I guess that what most drugs do to an addict too. Hmmm…now coming to think of it, are they telling us that the drink is highly addictive…like cocaine!

Making a RANDOM Point!

2008-05-29T14:02:00.013-04:00

Random means lacking any plan or order or purpose. Random with respect to an outcome is considered unpredictable or without any deterministic possibility.

'Random' is also the Winners of Australian X-Factor, another of those Reality TV shows that keeps eliminating people. Random is an R&B group comprising of 5 members. R&B means Rhythm and Blues. This is a popular genre of music that is a mix of Jazz, Gospel and Blues.

Coming back to Random; Random is also the name of a kick-ass fictional anti-hero who has featured in a few Marvel Comics editions of X-Factor. Random aka Marshall Evan Stone III is a bounty hunter of sorts and is made of protoplasm. He can change in to any form that he wishes too and fires biomatter projectiles.

For the fans of the hit-series O.C. (Orange County, CA) this might be of some interest. In one of the episodes during Season 3, a single song was played which was called...yes you guessed it - 'Random'. This was sung by Lady Sovereign who is a UK Hip Hop artist. Random was her first and only single from Lady Sovereign.

Random is also used in naval terminology. Random means any range that is beyond point-blank (especially when it comes to cannons). It was observed that when a gun (cannon) was elevated its accuracy dropped. Hence the elevations of guns were restricted or minimized. Thus the use of the word Random (due to the lack of predictability) when referring to shooting at longer ranges.

In medicine too this word plays an important role. Random is used to depict anything by chance. There are certain terms that are very important in the medicine and pharma world. For example, the word 'Random Sample' refers to a group selected randomly. A Random sample is also a word that Statisticians use a lot when they refer to their focus groups used in surveys or census.

Random Mating, another medical term, relates to a rare phenomenon where any sperm has an equal chance of fertilizing any egg without any particular regard to the genetic makeup of the mate. Genetic makeup is nothing but the genotype (the genetic constitution of an organism).
Random mating is also known as Panmixus.

Now that you have read till here, you must have realized that I am making a random point with random words used in random settings. Hail Random!

Can you think of more terms that relate to Random? Send them to the comments below.

Defining Randomness!

2008-05-28T11:02:00.004-04:00

What is Randomness? It is the act of being random. So lets define the word 'Random'
But the defining 'random' in itself is against the concept of randomness. You see randomness cannot be confined within a finite definition. So I believe you cannot define the Actual concept of Randomness.

I believe our lives are spent fighting 'randomness'. You may wonder how? Look at yourself. Your body is of a finite structure. It is nothing random. We try our best to 'Keep in Shape'. This is but a small part of our fight.

In our lives we always want to bring order. We feel comfortable with a pattern, an order, an organized way of approach. We are always trying hard to organize our lives in to manageable parts. Pattern is of essence for humans and living beings alike. Though many friends and people I know (or don't yet) will say that they are not organized at all. They are a mess and hate conforming to patterns or adhering to some kind of order. Though you might call yourself unpredictable but then that is perceptive. You are trying hard to avoid a pattern at all costs.

But that in itself is a pattern. Not being in order in itself is a pattern. It is said that humans cannot do anything that is purely random. We always end up with a pattern. The pattern might be difficult to recognize or highly complex, but the pattern exists. It is interesting to note that people try hard to avoid a pattern but still end up creating one that they can't see. Many crimes are solved in this manner.

It is therefore that a theory exists that order arises out of Chaos. Chaos is nothing but randomness. Purest form of Randomness is probably missing even from space. Planets, stars, constellations are all in patterns. They move in set orbits. Its because they follow a pattern, that we can plan space trips and get those robots to land on Mars such as the recent Phoenix lander.

I would love to feel, see and experience ABSOLUTE RANDOMNESS once in life if at all possible. Because I cannot imagine the sheer beauty of this pure form which will be nothing but miracle. The unpredictability of such 'Randomness' will be thrilling and exhilarating to the extent that perhaps, just perhaps we can experience the so called Bliss as in Heaven.

US Foreign Policy Explained to a Child

2008-05-27T10:39:00.003-04:00

I would like to make it clear at the First instance that this is not something I wrote. But this article was sent to me via an email. I would like to give all the DUE CREDIT to the person who wrote this in the first place. This post is so lucid that I had to mention this on my blog. It is a little long but worth the read, so bear with me and hopefully you do enjoy this read.

A Child's Guide To United States Foreign Policy

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?

A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction honey.

Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction.

A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them.

Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?

A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections.

Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?

A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2008 election.

Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?

A: To use them in a war, silly.

Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?

A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.

Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?

A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.

Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.

A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.

Q: And what was that?

A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.

Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?

A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.

Q: Kind of like what they do in China?

A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.

Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?

A: Right.

Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?

A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?

A: I told you, China is different.

Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?

A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath party, while China is Communist.

Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad?

A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.

Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?

A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Like in Iraq?

A: Exactly.

Q: And like in China, too?

A: I told you, China's a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.

Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor?

A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being communists and started being capitalists like us.

Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become capitalists?

A: Don't be a smart-ass.

Q: I didn't think I was being one.

A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of religion in Cuba.

Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?

A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he's not really a legitimate leader anyway.

Q: What's a military coup?

A: That's when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States.

Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?

A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.

Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?

A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.

Q: Didn't you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?

A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.

Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?

A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.

Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?

A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.

Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?

A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.

Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people's heads and hands?

A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people's heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too.

Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?

A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.

Q: Fighting drugs?

A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.

Q: How did they do such a good job?

A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.

Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK, but not if they cut people's heads and hands off for other reasons?

A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people's hands for growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off people's hands for stealing bread.

Q: Don't they also cut off people's hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?

A: That's different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.

Q: Don't Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?

A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.

Q: What's the difference?

A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers.

Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.

A: Now, don't go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.

Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.

A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.

Q: Who trained them?

A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.

Q: Was he from Afghanistan?

A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.

Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.

A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.

Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?

A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.

Q: So the Soviets ? I mean, the Russians ? are now our friends?

A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn't help us invade Iraq either.

Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?

A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.

Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn't do what we want them to do?

A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.

Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?

A: Well, yeah. For a while.

Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?

A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.

Q: Why did that make him our friend?

A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.

Q: Isn't that when he gassed the Kurds?

A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend.

Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?

A: Most of the time, yes.

Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?

A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.

Q: Why?

A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America Also, since God is on America's side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked Iraq?

Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?

A: Yes.

Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq?

A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.

Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head?

A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.

13 Famous Supersitions

2008-05-21T20:02:00.013-04:00

Of course there are many more but I made a list of most famous ones that we always hear and come across.

#1. Black Cats
This is perhaps the most famous of them all and its almost universal. In Egyptian times, black cats were considered holy and worshiped. Things changed along the way and Black Cats unfortunately turned unlucky for some reason. I call it Racism!
Though there are many versions of the black cat omen, but the one I hear often is a Black Cat crossing your path.

I remember driving along one of the roads and this bike was trying to overtake me. Suddenly a black cat ran across the road. The biker suddenly braked the bike and waited. I looked at him and realized he was waiting for me to cross since the Black cat had just crossed the path and it is considered unlucky.

Since black cats seem to be friendly to me, I went ahead and was wondering how lucky that fellow really was since there were no heavy vehicles behind him or he would he found that waiting for the black cat crossing the road is more unlucky than crossing it.

#2. The number 13
We have already discussed this earlier in one of my posts.

#3. Broken Mirror
If you break a mirror its considered to be 7 years of rotten luck. If I had broken the mirror back home my father would have made my life miserable for 7 lives!

#4. Spilling Salt
If you spill salt its considered bad luck again. The quick remedy is to throw salt across your left shoulder to save yourself from the devil.

I wonder if facing the devil would have been better than my mother for dirtying her floor.

#5. Walking under a Ladder
This is an obvious bad luck charm. I mean why would someone do that, especially when we know what gravity does to things on top.

#6. Broom
I am not sure if this is famous enough...but I have heard this all my childhood. If a broom brushes your body while sweeping, you will grow sickly thin.

I think I just heard a few hundred ladies stampeding towards the housemaid!

#7. Itches
If your Right palm itches, then you are bound to get money one way or the other. I wonder if those poor beggars know about this. They will be scratching their palms sore and retire!

I also know that the itch on the left palm means you will be paying through your nose that day of the itch.

#8. Hiccups
This is an interesting wireless long distance technology that some superior power invented. If you get hiccups then someone close to you is missing you and thinking of you.

I wish they could come up with some better alert mechanism, or I wouldn't want to be remembered so often, since hiccups can be really irritating especially after your food

#9. Dog Howling
A dog howling at night near someone's house is considered to be a bad omen and somewhere related to death. I completely relate to this one.

When you are fast asleep and a bastard dog starts howling, just won't stop, then I guess it is a bad omen because you will inadvertently cause a death (of the dog) especially if you have a gun.

#10. Horse Shoe
A horse-shoe at the door or the entrance is considered to be a lucky charm.

I guess a horse shoe is definitely a luck charm as long as its on a door and not on your ass.

#11. Eyelashes
This is one of those childish stuff we have all done one point or the other. If you find one of your eyelashes then you have to place it on the back of your hand and blow it while wishing eyes closed. If it is gone when you open your eyes your wish will be granted.

If it does not blow away then you need to blow harder the next time and yet again because I am still waiting for a few wishes to be fulfilled.

#12.Touch Wood
It started off as Knocking wood 3 times when some thing good was said to ward off the evil eye. But I guess since more a more fairer sex started believing in this one, the knock (which could hurt the knuckles) was transformed to a gentle touch.

I have come to realize that there are more wooden heads than you can imagine because you will find many people touching their heads if they can find wood nearby.

#13. Sneeze
Last and the least, its the sneeze. If you sneeze someone around you must say 'God Bless you!' because it is believed that the Devil enters or exits (I forget the direction) your body when you sneeze. Just like the sneaky devil to wait for your sneeze all day and sometimes week.

So there you are....13 superstitions we have come across almost everyday.

Why only 13?

Because I was tired coming up with more. If you are interested in reading more of such interesting superstitions you can look up this site.

If you have a superstition that came true, you experienced, or felt was funny, then please leave your comment below.

Global Warming and number 13

2008-05-14T12:49:00.008-04:00

So how is the number 13 related to Global Warming? I found some very interesting connections which I say is nothing but coincidence!

Try a small search on Global Warming long with the number 13 (global warming + 13) and you will notice that most publications, press releases, and news articles were released on the 13th of any month. Many books were launched on the same date. Summits and conferences were arranged on the 13th.

Also interestingly, a public forum was held at the Australian National University in Canberra on 13 July 2007. Scientists from the Australian National University, Stanford University, USA, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies gathered here to debunk the skeptics of the Global Warming theory.

There are a few more amazing coincidences :

13% of Americans have not heard about Global Warming according to an AC Nielsen report
In 2007, ahead of the G8 Summit, thirteen science academies (also signatories) issued a declaration affirming the existence of global warming and the necessity of counter-measures
The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) claims that they have been working on areas of climate change and global warming for the last 13 years. Another point to note here is that this program is sponsored by thirteen federal agencies.

See if you can come with some more coincidences on Global Warming or just air your opinion on the same below (comments)

The Unluckiest Blog is Born!

2008-05-13T12:52:00.032-04:00

13 (Thirteen)! This unfortunate number is unfortunately considered as one of the most unluckiest number unanimously (by at least a clean majority) across continents. May be Italy is an exception but for the rest of the world, 13 is perhaps the unluckiest number to be created. I sometimes wonder,why did they create 13 if it was unlucky in the first place.

Perhaps it became unlucky after they created it. But in the era of Kings and Lords when they could make February lose some days, then why not lose 13 too.

I am so glad that they did not decide to drop the 13th in Feb instead of the 29th. I was born on the 13th of February. Though I tend to believe that it is a lucky number for me, but I have not felt it to be a wee bit luckier than all the other days of the year. But I guess since I was born on the 13th I must have reinstated the belief of the number being unlucky :) for a devil was born

The fear of the number 13 is called Triskaidekaphobia while the fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia . Since I am so closely associated with the number 13, I was a little curious about the origins and I did some digging.

JUDAS the 13th Disciple
This is one of the most common beliefs in the Christian world. It is believed that the disciple who sat on the 13th chair at the Last Supper was none other than Judas. But I am not entirely convinced about the seating arrangement here since the count could have been from either ends. If it was a circle as opposed to the famous depiction by Leonardo Da Vinci, then the 13th could have been any chair.

The Knights Templar
This secret not so secret anymore) sect made more famous by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code, were executed supposedly on the 13th of October 1307 on a Friday. So again this is considered to be the reason why it is unlucky. Unfortunately the Knights from the Templar considered the number to be lucky....only if they knew!

VIKINGS and LOKI
But it seems that this belief went back to the Vikings too. Loki was supposed to be the 13th god who barged some meeting of gods (supper again...note the coincidence) and also engineered the murder of Baldr (another Norse mythological god).

Scotland ( a country influenced by Norse Mythology) does not seem to have a terminal numbered 13 at their Airports. Its numbered 12B.

Adam and Eve
There is also a belief doing the rounds that Eve gave Adam the apple on a Friday. I thought they didn't care about days or nights since they were in bliss (paradise) till they ate the apple. So I am sure that this belief is more of afterthought created to emphasize the unluckiness of poor 13 since Friday is allegedly, a close cousin of the 13th when it comes to unluckiness.

Modern Times
I remember watching a program on Discovery where the paramedics claimed that they tend to have more accident cases on a Full Moon Day than any other day. Somewhere else I read that hospitals emergency rooms are swapped more on Friday the 13th than normal Fridays. I really feel sorry for the all those hospital and emergency staff when the next Full Moon Friday the 13th comes up.

The Airline industry is perhaps the most fearful of the number 13. Most renowned airliners including Lufthansa, Continental Airlines, Alitalia and others do not have the 13th seat on their flights. They just skip it. I call that fooling the already fooled customers.

It seems that Formula One (F1) also as a custom do not use number 13 on their cars in recent times.

13 and United States
For some reason in the US, Basketball, Baseball and American Football has been blessed with the number 13's luckiness. Many greats from these respective games have made it to the Hall of Fame and won major tournaments.

American flag to this day has thirteen horizontal stripes derived from the original 13 States.
Great Seal of the United States there are 13 olive leaves (with 13 olives), 13 arrows, and 13 stars. These form a triangle over the eagle with the number 13 on each point.
The number of guns in a gun salute to U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Major Generals, and Navy and Coast Guard Rear Admirals Upper Half

13 and 13th Random
This blog is being launched on the 13th of May 2008 and will contain 13 random posts every month. This is not an exercise in Myth busting. But more of a dedication and mark of respect to the unluckiest number on the planet.

What is your take on the number 13? Do try and share an incident related to this number below (comments).

Links & References:

For the religiously inclined and one with loads of time you can read the following links for more information:
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/n018.htm

For all those Bush Bashers: http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/george_bushjr_13.htm